Apparatus for manufacture of tobacco articles



June 25, 1940. G. DAVIDSON- APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURE 0F TOBACCO ARTICLES Filed may *14) 1956 @.NWW,

uniii- 1-: i--- Patented v.une 25, 14940 PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURE F TOBACCO ARTICLES Glenn Davidson, Aurora, Ill.

Application May 14, 1936, Serial No. 79,776

6 Claims.

This invention relates to means for making mouthpiece cigarettes and has for its general object the provision of a novel apparatus which will automatically form mouthpiece cigarettes in continuous manner. More particularly, my invention relates to apparatus for making mouthpiece cigarettes which will be far cheaper than hand manufacture and will provide a means for producing such cigarettes in volume at less cost than that of an ordinary cigarette.

Heretofore, mouthpiece cigarettes, as far as I am aware, have been made entirely b-y inferior methods outside of the rod type cigarette machine, and as a consequence such cigarettes have never been marketed in large volume because of the increased cost of such methods and articles as compared with the cost of articles made in the conventional cigarette machine.

Obviously, a mouthpiece cigarette should be cheaper than a conventional cigarette because part of the expensive tobacco has been replaced by the relatively cheap material contained in the mouthpiece plug. Such cigarettes -have numerous other advantages, such as presenting a rm feel to the mouth of a smoker and also preventing the raveling cut of small particles of tobacco in the end. This is annoying in that a limp end is encountered by the mouth of the smoker and the particles of tobacco fall in unwanted places such as a users pocket or purse.

A detailed object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus in which a mouthpiece band is wrapped around a cigarette in a single mechanical unit and wherein shifting of the 35 band and cigarette from one mechanism to another is avoided.

A more detailed object of the invention is to provide a mechanism for eiiiciently wrapping a band about a cigarette by rst separating one 40 edge of the band from one edge of the belt so that wrapping of a relatively short member such as a band proceeds in much the manner of a relatively long web of wrapping material.

To the accomplishment of the foregoingand related ends, the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described, and particularly po-inted out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawing setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

In said annexed drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation.

Fig. la is a side elevation being a continuation of Fig. 1 with parts of the conveyor belt in section.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on line 2-2 of Fig. la.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line 3 3 of 5 Fig. la.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section on line 4-4 of Fig. la.

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail.

Referring now yto Fig. 1 it will be seenthat I 10 have illustrated a cigarette cutter generally indicated at 2id. 'Ihis cutter is of conventional form and need not be described in detail here as it forms no part of the invention.l i

It is important to note that cutter 2|d may be 15 part of a conventional cigar-ette machine and that I have designed the tipping mechanism in such manner that it may be directly combined with a cigarettexmachine. Heretofore the speed of cigarette machines has been too high in compari- 20 son with that of mouthpiece forming machines but this obstacle has been overcome in the present device. A continuous cigarette rod 22a is adapted to be severed into sections 22 by the cutter 2id, and these sections are designed to 25 be double in length. An endless belt 4d trained about pulleys 29d and 30d is adapted to receive the double cigaretterods 22 and immediately over the upper vrun of the belt anv inverted U- shaped guide 9 (seeFig. 2) is placed so as to 30 dene the path of the rods 22 along the upper run o-f the belt 4d. The guide 9 is apertured immediately below the element 24 so that mouthpiece rods 23 carried by such element 24 can be inserted in the spaces between the cigarette rods 22. One form of the mechanism 24 is similar to that shown in U. S. Patent No. 1,963,076 and need not be described in detail here as other means may be 'substituted for inserting the mouthpiece rods between the cigarette rods. A'I'he 40 trailing ends of the plugs are then engaged by thin blades 69 carried on the endless belt 68 so that each plug section together with its preceding tobacco section'is pushed into spaced relationship with the preceding sections. The belt 68 is arrangedto travel upwardly at an angle so that the blades 69 are withdrawn from between the adjoining plug and tobacco sections with a substantially vertical movement so as to eifect minimum damage tothe ends of such sections. Of course it would be possible to arrange the blades 69 to cooperate with the ends of the tobacco sections insteadfof the plug sections but I greatly prefer to have them cooperate with the plug sections since in general theyare less easily damaged than the tobacco sections and further if any slight damage to the ends of plug sections does occur, it is of little consequence since the plug is entirelyenclosed in the banding material. On the other hand, the banding material overlaps only slightly on the tobacco sections and any slight damage to the end of such section is of corresponding serious consequence. Immediately adjacent the end of the upper run of belt 4d I have provided a stationary plate ltd the purpose of which is to retard the rods so that they will become closely packed before passing through the next operation.

Referring now to Fig. 1a. and the left hand portion thereof, it will be seen that the stationary plate terminates adjacent the beginning of the upper run of the suction .belt 21a. The suction belt 21a enters a closing and sealing tube 28d and then passes around( pulley 21d, tension roller 28d and pulley 25d. This belt is designed to carry cigarette portions, mouthpiece portions and portions of banding material 2id. The banding or tipping material 2id is formed from the web i60. that in turn comes from the roll ltd. This web passes through feed rollers Il and Ha and then to a glue applying mechanism consisting of `rollers i3d, ia, and glue reservoir lSb. Cutting means in the form of a cutting rollei` iSd and the shear 34 are :provided adjacent the rollers 18d and |80.. This means severs the web 16a to form the individual sections 2id and is so spaced with respect to suction belt 21a that one end of the section 2id engages the belt 27a just prior to the cutting operation.

A suction box 9d extends beneath the belt 27a from a point just over the drum 26d to the closing and sealing tube 20d. This box shown in detail in Figs. 2 and 3 is provided with rollers Ill which support the suction belt 21a and has a lip Sa formed at one side thereof which prevents the band 2id from contacting the suction belt along one longitudinal edge of such belt. A transverse apertured plate 254e may be used at the entrance section of box 9d in order to prevent the belt 21a from being drawn into the suction box. The purpose of the lip 9a is to lift one edge so that it can eventually be curled around the cigarette rod and the mouthpiece rod. Suction box 9d is provided with openings lila which cooperate with openings in the perforated belt 21d to maintain the bands 2id in substantially iiat condition prior to being applied to the mouthpiece and cigarette rods.

The closing and sealing tube is similar in most respects to conventional cigarette machinery and therefore does not require detailed description here. It should be noted, however, that this tube is provided with a lip Sa that is a continuation of the lip 9a on the suction box. In the lclosing and sealing tube 20d the bands 2|d are applied so as to completely cover the mouthpiece rod and the adjacent ends of two cigarette rods. A conventional cutter 2lb is provided at any desired point adjacent the end of the closing i and sealing tube Zd and this functions to automatically cut the cigarette rods in half and the mouthpiece rods in half.

In operation, sections of wrapped cigarette rod 22 of twice the length of the tobacco section desired in the nished mouthpiece cigarette may be taken from the cutter 2|d of a conventional rod type cigarette machine and dropped on the endless belt 4d which is moving at such a speed that spaces are left between succeeding sections 22 slightly longer than the sections or rods 0f mouthpiece plug material 23, which also are double the length desired in the finished mouth- .piecev cigarette. The cigarette sections or cigarette rods 22 are carried under the inverted 'U- shaped guide 9 which at one point has an aperture through which double mouthpiece plugs or rods 23 are inserted in the spaces between the cigarette rods 22 by means of a plug placing mechanism 24 similar to that shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 7, of U. S. Patent No. 1,963,076. The train consisting alternately of cigarette rods 22 and mouthpiece plugs 23 is carried forward by the belt 4d and pushed across the stationary plate Id, the friction on the plate Illd causing them to become abutted against each other. Meanwhile banding or tipping material is being drawn from the supply roll i611 in the web Ia by the feed rolls I1 and I'Ia, treated with glue on one surface taken from the glue supply |81) by the rollers i8d and 18ct, and cut into sections 2id by the roller cutter l9d and the shear 34. The banding sections 2 Id are of such length that they cover the mouthpiece plug sections l23 and overlap somewhat onto the cigarette rods 22.

The banding sections 2id fall on the perforated belt 21a and are held in position by suction applied to the suction chamber 9d. The rate of cutting off the banding sections 2id is such that they become spaced on the belt 21a, at such distances that the center of the banding sections 2id will register with the center of the mouthpiece plug sections 23. In order to assist in this, it is desirable to have the cutter ld so arranged that the leading end of the section 2id is being gripped by the suction through the perforated belt 21a before the cut is made by the cutter iSd.

The assembly now consisting of cigarette rods 22, mouthpiece plug sections 23 and banding sections 2id passes into the closing and sealing device 29d, which is similar in most respects to those used in sealing the wrapper around tobacco to form ordinary cigarettes. There is, however, one particular modification, the lip 9a4 (shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4) extends beyond the sealing device 20d along the suction chamber 9d in such a way that when the banding sections Zld fall on the perforated belt 21a one edge is held away from the belt.

When. the above described train of cigarette rods 22, mouthpiece plug sections 23 and banding sections 2id emerges from the sealing device 2M, it has taken the form of a continuous rod wherein the cigarette rods 22 and mouthpiece plug sections 23 are closely abutted and joined by the banding sections 2Id. This continuous rod is now passed to a conventional cigarette cutter 2lb which severs it at the center of each mouthpiece plug section 23 and each tobacco section 22 to form individual cigarettes 25d.

Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed, change being made as regards the details described, provided the features stated in any of the following claims, or the equivalent of such, be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. In apparatus of the character described, a sealing and closing device having a spiral lip located interiorly thereof to wrap a band about a cigarette, a suction `belt adapted to carry such band into said device and a suction box located below said belt and forward of said device, said lip extending above said belt and at one side of said box.

2. 'In apparatus of the character described, a sealing and closing device having a spiral lip located interiorly thereof to Wrap a band about a cigarette, a suction belt adapted to carry such vband into said device and a suction box located below said belt and forward of said device, a lip extending above said belt and at one side of said box, said latter lip being a continuation of said spiral lip in said device and lying beneath one edge of said band.

3. In apparatus of the character described, a suction box, a suction belt overlying said suction box, means for depositing a cigarette band upon said belt and means separating one edge of said band from said belt at the time said band is deposited upon said belt.

4. In apparatus of the character described, a suction box, a suction belt overlying said suction box, means for depositing a cigarette band upon said belt and means for progressively increasing the distance between one edge of said band and said belt from the time said band is deposited upon said belt.

5. Apparatus for wrapping a band about a cigarette comprising a substantially at perforated belt, means for depositing a mouthpiece band upon said belt, means for depositing a cigarette partially upon said band and partially upon said belt, and means for wrapping and securing said band about said cigarette while both band and cigarette are carried by said belt, and suction means underlying said belt at the points of deposition of 'said band and cigarette, said suction means extending into said Wrapping means whereby said band and said cigarette are held directly by suction during part of the wrapping operation. A

6. In apparatus of the character described, a belt for conveying cigarettes in the direction of their length, said belt being perforated, means for depositing a vcigarette band upon said belt, suction means adjacent said belt along a portion thereof, and folding and wrapping means, said suction means extending into said folding and Wrapping means, and said .belt travelling through said folding and wrapping means.'

GLENN DAVIDSON. 

